UK planning to block all online porn later this year

Today British Prime Minister David Cameron today has announced an aggressive plan to crack down on online pornography, as part of an ongoing campaign to protect children from its “corroding” influence. Based on the plan, online porn will be blocked by default for all new UK household internet connections, meaning consumers will have to tell their internet service providers (ISPs) whether they want to disable the filters. The plan will also make it a crime to possess “extreme pornography,” such as images or video of simulated rape, the Daily Mail reports.

In his speech, Cameron detailed how the initiative would be applied to existing customers. “Following the work we’ve already done with the service providers, they have now agreed to take a big step,” Cameron said. “By the end of next year, they will have contacted all of their existing customers and presented them with an unavoidable decision about whether or not to install family friendly content filters.” Claire Perry, Tory Minister of Parliament and Cameron’s adviser on the matter, told the BBC that existing customers who do not inform ISPs of their decision will have the “family-friendly filters” implemented automatically.